A glorious midweek celebration before Half Term at Buckingham Palace saw Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award winners from our largest ever Gold cohort honoured at a special ceremony and tea party.
The event, which was attended by around 2,000 young people and their families on Wednesday 20 May, was hosted by HRH Prince Edward, the current Duke of Edinburgh and featured guest speakers including the inspirational former racing driver Billy Monger and dancer Tasha Ghouri, who both talked about determination, breaking down barriers and following your heart.
Guests were treated to delicious cupcakes and a cup of tea in a souvenir ’70 years of the Duke of Edinburgh Award’ reusable cup whilst exploring the beautiful surroundings. The gardens were in full bloom and the atmosphere was overwhelmingly happy, with young people all dressed in their finest array, chattering excitedly about their experiences of the award while two brass bands played classical and film music.
In his speech, the Duke reminded his audience that the Gold Award is a huge challenge, and that succeeding in completing the award shows courage, resilience and incredible team spirit. Among our winners were: Phoenix Hadden (now at Warwick University), Charlotte Williams (University of Campus of Football Business, based at Wembley Stadium), Daisy Pietroni (Exeter University), Amber Tambellini (currently finishing an Art foundation course before heading to Sheffield University in the autumn), and Ewan Jones (working in retail).
The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme at Heathfield continues to grow each year and increasing numbers of students go on to complete Silver and Gold as a result of the opportunities and support they receive. It is a fantastic experience and builds great skills for future live. We are determined this is open to all, if your son or daughter is interested but you are concerned about how this might be achievable, please contact the team at college to find out more.
